tween

When 11-year-old Payton Pinkston faced cyberbullying, like most kids her age, she felt sad and hurt. But she didn’t let that experience keep her down. She used it as motivation to help others. As the founder of the Bully Patrol project, Payton is on a mission to stop bullying before it starts.

During National Bullying Prevention Month, a time dedicated to fostering awareness and encouraging action against bullying, Empowered Flower Girl proudly shines a light on the inspiring youth who refuse to remain silent in the face of adversity.

“I started Bully Patrol last year because I experienced cyberbullying. I thought the kids that put me in a group message were my friends only to find out they were saying mean things about me. It was disappointing and hurtful,” Payton explained. “When I experienced cyberbullying, I knew what to do because I was always taught to speak up and let my mom or an adult know. But other kids may not know and are afraid. So that’s why I came up with Bully Patrol – to stop bullying before it starts.”

With unwavering determination, Payton uses her voice and experience as powerful tools for change. Fueled by empathy and compassion, Payton strives to eradicate bullying and cyberbullying – issues that affect so many young people worldwide.

“When I came up with the name, I was thinking about the cartoon ‘Paw Patrol’ and my mom was like, “that’s a great name,” Payton noted. “My mom told me how she used to be a safety patrol when she was in school. So we put our ideas together and said Bully Patrol will be just like a safety patrol. We patrol the hallways. We patrol the bathroom. We patrol the lunch room. We patrol at recess and we will speak at different schools and in our community.”

Payton’s ultimate goal is to take Bully Patrol nationally and even globally. “I want to have a Bully Patrol Club in every school just like they had a safety patrol club,” she said.

In addition to her work with Bully Patrol, Payton is an entrepreneur, actress, dancer, singer and model. The ambitious tween is not only working to banish bullying, but she’s also working the runway and the stage.
Connect with Payton via Instagram.

Research suggests that many girls’ confidence takes a nosedive as early as eight years old. A 2018 poll found that their confidence drops by 30% from ages 8 to 14. It’s no surprise when many look to social media apps for likes and validation.

So what can we do to help boost girls’ self-esteem? Eight-year-old Lianna Dozier has some ideas.

The Atlanta tween wrote a children’s book entitled Don’t Call Me Pretty.

“I wanted to write a book for girls my own age, so they would love themselves and not go through bad things in life,” she said. “I started talking to my mom about things that bother me and things that make me insecure. I also asked her questions about what her life was like and how she felt as a little girl.”

So she and her mother, Lisamarie Thomas, co-wrote the book which helps girls “look at themselves in a good way instead of comparing themselves to everyone else.”

When I Grow Up

Even though she’s only eight, the young author has big aspirations for her book and herself.

She hopes to start an after-school program and charity for young girls to show them how to believe in themselves, even when they don’t.

“I think that young children everywhere would love to have another child read a story that they wrote and speak to them on these things,” Lianna said. “I know that I am just a child but I think this is important. So I would like to help.”

When she grows up, Lianna would like to be a doctor who helps kids. “I would like to become a child psychologist when I graduate from college. I have always wanted to help other kids and I believe that everyone can be a better person if they have someone to help them,” she added.

Kudos to Lianna for taking a stand for girls and showing them that even in a world where beauty seems to be most important, they can challenge the status quo.

Follow Lianna and Lisamarie on Instagram at @Lisamarie _The_Author.

She’s EmPOWERed: Michigan Tween Working to Banish Bullying Before it Starts

Atlanta tween co-writes book to help boost girls’ self-esteem